


Ilvermorny

by pungentpetrichor



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Lesbian Relationship, Canon Non-Binary Character, Gen, Ilvermorny, Magic-Users
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-16 18:01:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10576572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pungentpetrichor/pseuds/pungentpetrichor
Summary: Dearest Mr. Hannigan,We are pleased to inform you that your transfer has gone through and you have been officially enrolled at Ilvermmorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for this upcoming Autumn (I hear the Americans call it “Fall”, better get used to that). While it pains us to see such a bright young wizard leave our school community, we know how you will excel and wish you the best for the remainder of your educational experience.All the sincere hullabaloo,Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and WizardryWhen Nick has to move to a new school in a whole new country with all new people, he must learn to adapt. And that's just the start.





	1. Prologue: Send-Off

**Author's Note:**

> hello all! I hope you guys really like this! It's just the prologue and i've already planned so much more to come so please let me know what you think! :)

_Dearest Mr. Hannigan,_

_We are pleased to inform you that your transfer has gone through and you have been officially enrolled at Ilvermmorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for this upcoming Autumn (I hear the Americans call it “Fall”, better get used to that). While it pains us to see such a bright young wizard leave our school community, we know how you will excel and wish you the best for the remainder of your educational experience._

_All the sincere hullabaloo,  
Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

He picked up the letter, written in the handwriting of the headmistress herself, from his bunk in the Slytherin Dormitory as he plopped onto his bed. Once he finished reading it, he sighed exasperatedly. Everyone else was in Hogsmeade celebrating the last day of finals, but he had nothing to celebrate. To everyone else, finals being over meant a whole summer to spend with friends mucking about Diagon Alley and doing internships at the Ministry, but as soon as he got home from Hogwarts, he was to pack up all of his belongings and move to America. He sighed again and got up, deciding to go to the Slytherin Common room to enjoy it while he can.

He half expected someone to be there when he entered, but of course nobody was there but him. He walked toward the glass that separated the room and the lake, observing the fishes in their natural habitats. He smiled to himself, letting a bit of air escape his nose in the place of laughter, when he thought of the irony that they all swam in schools, nobody alone. He felt so goddamn alone. Of course, this was self-inflicted solitude, he felt odd going out with friends when he knew he’d be leaving soon, all this was fleeting anyways. Still, he couldn’t help but feel so _so_.

He sat at one of the tables, busying himself with making the pen that was on the table do tricks in the air and tapping his hands on his legs. He tried to make himself feel better, thinking about how exciting it would be to go to school at Ilvermorny, he had heard some cool things about it. Well, besides the obvious house similarities. But his mind kept wandering into the solitude he felt, the solitude he knew he would have to feel all summer and probably at school come Autumn. The only British kid at an all-American school, he would stick out like a sore thumb. He wished his mother hadn’t taken the job at MACUSA, then took that thought back immediately. It was unfair to her, she deserved the position, he told her as much when she asked him about moving to America.

He heard laughter and steps approaching from the halls outside the Common Room, and looked at the entrance expectantly. As it opened, the laughter got significantly louder, and cheer filled the room. About three of his friends entered, still not noticing his silent presence there. The pen fell back on the table, his mind being occupied with other things now.

“Nick! Just the man we wanted to see,” said a girl with a comfortable smile. Everything was so comfortable about Hogwarts.

“Yeah! We have something for you,” agreed another boy, who looked knowingly at Nick. He smiled in return, making a confused eyebrow movement at the same time. The first girl slipped the bag that was on her shoulder off, it was small and bright yellow and read ‘PARTY SACK’ on the side. She opened it with a bit of a struggle and out came a burst of confetti, balloons, streamers, and a disco ball. All of the young witches and wizards mused at the party set up, their laughter filling the spaces in between beats of the music.

“We wanted to give you a proper send off,” shouted a second girl from beside him. She then motioned at the boy’s pocket. He pulled out a small box, placed it on the table, and opened it, making four glasses of butterbeer appear on the table. Nick laughed at this and grabbed a glass, taking a sip and feeling the creme give him a white moustache. 

“You really didn’t have to do this, you guys,” he yelled over the music, but laughing even more when he realized how they’d likely all get in trouble with Headmistress McGonagall for being so loud. 

“Well, if you weren’t going to have some fun with us, we had to bring the fun to you,” joked the first girl. He smiled, feeling like this was the proper was to end his time at Hogwarts and thinking that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t feel so lonely after all.


	2. Chapter 1: Ilvermorny Express

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick meets some interesting people as he travels to Ilvermorny via train...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! This chapter is way longer and explains a lot more so I hope this ropes you in more! haha jk but let me know what you think in the comments, I really wanna hear back.

The pain in his stomach grew stronger the closer he got to Grand Central Station, almost in direct correlation. The station was so oddly placed compared to its surroundings, the gleam of towering office windows catching his eye everywhere he looked, busy New Yorker briskly rushing by him in all directions, spilling into the streets. The station itself was so old compared to it all, like a snapshot in time, something old in the newness of the city. It almost reminded him of Hogwarts. He laughed to himself at the irony of that, of anything reminding him of Hogwarts in New York, in the very place which is to take him to Ilvermorny.

_Speaking of Ilvermorny_ , he thought, _I really should get going if I don’t want to miss the train_.

With that thought, he rushed into the station, becoming a part of yet still easy to pick out from the rushing New York crowd. 

His ticket had been sent to his family’s apartment in New York the week before, so all he had to do was go to the train platform. He ascended the steps into the interior, scurrying past the ticket booths, trying not to look nervous and like he knew exactly what he was doing.

Once in the terminal area, he pulled out the ticket from his pocket. It had his name on it, which shone in the four colors he assumed were representative of the houses at Ilvermorny, considering he hadn’t been sorted there yet. He pictured a sixth-year being sorted at Hogwarts, towering over the confused little first-years, and smiled at the thought before shuddering at his realization that this is likely what they had in store for him at Ilvermorny. _How embarrassing_. 

Pulling himself back out of his nervous thoughts, he got himself back on task, reading the platform he was to find: Platform 7.4. He sighed immediately, _Not another 9¾ fiasco, I nearly missed the Hogwarts Express trying to get through that damn barrier first year_. Looking at the number on his ticket again, he chuckled, realizing the date it referred to. _This really is America_. 

He decided that there was no more time to waste lolling about, so he got to searching for platform seven, assuming it would be a similar situation as it was back at home. 

When he arrived at the platform, he saw that the signs for seven and eight were on separate poles, and thus he had no way of entering the barrier at four tenths past the seven mark. Panicking, he pulled the ticket out of his pocket yet again, frantically searching for any instructions that would help him out of this predicament. Scanning the ticket, he could not find anything regarding getting to the train platform. 

He looked up, deciding he would try to find some possible Ilvermorny students arriving to take the train. After waiting an anxiety-filled 5 minutes, he spotted a girl about his age, dragging a suitcase behind her and carrying a backpack that appeared filled to the brim with books. She had her hair buzzed all around her head, except the top where her auburn curly hair plopped in front of her face. She looked pretty calm approaching the area, despite the stuff she was lugging behind her. _Bingo_.

As she neared his spot, leaning against the platform seven marker, he called out to her.

“Uh, excuse me?,” he called, causing her to look up from behind her rectangular glasses. She pointed at herself with an inquisitive look. He nodded with a dorky smile and walked up to her slowly. It had just dawned on him the possibility of her being a muggle. He had to make sure she even knew what he was talking about first.

“Hi. I-uh. I have to get to school from here. Do you-uh-know. Do you know the school?” he managed to blurt out. She smiled kindly in response.

“Ilvermorny? Nice no-maj-proof question there,” she laughed at her own joke before looking up at his expectant face and feeling like she should answer the question, “Uh, yeah. It’s kinda tricky to get to the platform the first time. This is your first time right?”

“Yes, I’m a transfer,” he said, somewhat bashfully. She allowed a polite smile to form on her face, pleased with her correctness but wondering if transfers were even a thing at Ilvermorny.

“Alright, well here’s how it works. It’s kinda stupid if you ask me, too convoluted. But whatever. Basically, if you look at the floor tiles, there are exactly ten in between the two posts. So, what you do is stand on the fourth from the seven, because seven-point-four, and say…” she trailed off, trying to figure out how to say the next part. She decided on leaning into him and whispering it “you say _ostendit quid sit inter_ , it’s the spell that activates the portal to the platform.”

She stepped back after, dissecting his face to make sure he understood. “Okay, I’m going to go first so you can see how to do it, sound good?” He nodded quickly, following her to the fourth floor tile. She turned around to face him as she stood on the tile. “The name’s Ryan, by the way,” she said, before quickly reciting the incantation and disappearing, her backpack and suitcase along with her.

Next, he took his belongings and positioned them all to at least touch the fourth square, thinking about how inconvenient the entrance is. He supposed it was meant to be that way so that muggles wouldn’t find it, but he liked the Hogwarts platform entrance so much better. Even though there were all sorts of people rushing by, he checked to make sure there was nobody looking, and quietly repeated the words Ryan had given him. 

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them he saw he was on a much emptier platform. There were just a bunch of 11-17 year olds now, some crowding around a snack bar trying to purchase snacks for the train journey ahead. He hadn’t really had an appetite, his belly filled with nerves, and found it best to remain out of the way. 

He noticed that nobody was wearing school uniforms and thought it was odd. He had an excuse, as he couldn’t have purchased them yet. But he didn’t know enough about Ilvermorny, and maybe they put on their uniforms when they arrived at the school. He quickly searched for Ryan, but she had disappeared.

Not wanting to look lonely, Nick pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and found a post to lean on. He slowly trudged over to it, still scanning for Ryan, and pressed his back against it with one leg bent so the sole of his shoe was on the post to imitate looking cool and indifferent. He had thought a lot about who he wanted to be at Ilvermorny. Not many people get the chance to reinvent themselves in a place where they didn’t know anybody, he felt bad wasting it being himself.

He gave up on trying to find Ryan and decided instead to scroll through the WizWeb, the internet only accessible to wizardkind. To access it, one had to go to a very boring-looking website in a very boring-looking part of the Internet, and cast a spell on the device they were using. It was the only magic that young wizards were allowed to do outside of school, as the Wizarding Ministries of the world realized there was no keeping teenagers off the internet. Nick cast the necessary spell into his phone and began to scroll through Instagram, which proved to be a mistake. All of his Hogwarts friends had posted group pictures and selfies together, and he began to feel an emptiness in him, the only person he briefly knew at Ilvermorny hiding somewhere. He half-hoped that the captions would at least say ‘missing Nick!’ or ‘all but one!’ or something of the sort. But, to his disappointment, there was no mention of him whatsoever.

He had a thought that it was probably _probably_ not their faults, that perhaps it is only natural to grow apart with time. Sure, he talked to them during the Summer, even Skyped (which, as they used the WizWeb, was more like a life-size-hologram-popping-into-your-room than a video chat), but maybe he didn’t talk to them enough. Maybe he gave off the impression that he was ready to start a new life that didn’t include them. Maybe, and he shuddered at this thought, they simply forgot him. Immediately his self-deprecating thoughts and insecurities rushed through his mind like a large wave crashing onto a shore, and he decided instead to suppress them. 

Luckily, his mind was quickly distracted, as a conductor-like-man approached him asking to look at his ticket. The conductor informed him that students will be allowed to board in 5 minutes, and that seventh years get priority seating. As a sixth-year, he was pretty pleased with this system, being able to get into the train fairly early and grab a seat instead of torturing himself by going through his Instagram feed.

He looked around in a last-ditch effort to find Ryan, but to no avail. He thought about why he had even bothered to look for her, it wasn’t like she was going to accept him as a friend just because she helped him out with getting to the platform. He sighed, zoning out and letting the waves of his dark and angsty thoughts crash over him and swallow him up.

When it was time, he grabbed his things and found an empty train car where he could sit on his own for the duration of the journey. He loved long trips, they reminded him of his childhood when him and his parents would have adventures out in the British countryside. He especially loved listening to music and staring out the window, taking in the scenery and letting his mind wander. Though his mind wandering may not have been such a great idea on this particular day, he still felt a rush of excitement, stretching out his legs on the empty seat beside him and popping his headphones into his ears.

As he watched the tunnel around him transform into the empty nothingness that lay between New York City and Ilvermorny (which is somewhere in Massachusetts, all he really knew that it wasn’t Boston), he thought of his mom and how she was probably worrying about him at work. In the week leading up to this day, she had become increasingly more nervous. She kept asking him if he had all the supplies necessary for the term, if he had clothes for all seasonal occasions, if he needed more money (she had already given him 100 American dollars for his first month there so he could buy house merchandise and things of that nature). He could tell she was more nervous than usual, she was never like this for Hogwarts. He figured it was likely because she had had less time for him since the move, considering she had just started a new job and said job was much more demanding than the last.

He remembered when the two of them were shopping for textbooks for him, she seemed more frantic and hands-on. Back in England, she would’ve let him wander around Diagon Alley shopping for items while she met and chatted with friends and coworkers from the Ministry. Perhaps it was because it was all new to her, to both of them, uncharted territory that she felt she needed to guide them through together. He remembered distinctly disliking this frantic version of his mother, but he understood how new it was to her. After all, it was all new to him, too.

He remembered that day being quite jarring, seeing several Ilvermorny kids shopping as well. He had wondered who they would be to him, friends or enemies, girlfriends or boyfriends, housemates or roommates. Mostly, he wondered what house he would be put in. They weren’t quite like Hogwarts houses, they didn’t directly transfer, so he would have to go through the sorting ceremony at Ilvermorny with all the first-years. He looked at the various house symbols, wondering which one he would be wearing soon. 

He had done his research on each of the houses and found that he could fit well in practically all of them. He had done loads of research, actually. He read lots of information on Ilvermorny and its houses on the school website, as well as studying the story of school’s founding family, and the history of the American wizarding community as a whole. He felt quite prepared to go to the school given all his recently acquired information.

Nick’s mind popped back into the present, noticing that the door to his train car had been knocked on and was slightly open now, a familiar face behind it, as well as a few new ones.

“Hey, sorry to bother you,” said Ryan, her face poking in just barely from behind the door, “I was wondering if- oh! Hey, it’s you!” She said, a warm smile appearing on her face. Nick pulled one earbud out of his ear.

“Hey, hi. Uh, yes it’s me,” he scrambled out of his mouth nervously, “Did-Did you need something?” Ryan, sensing the nervous energy in the air, slid into the train car and shut the door on her friends waiting outside, holding up one finger from behind the glass. They understandingly walked away, giving them a few minutes of privacy. Something about the interaction fascinated Nick.

When the friends all had cleared, Ryan turned around and sat in the seat across from him, closest to the door. “Sorry for just entering without your permission, I just felt like you may have been uncomfortable with strangers watching you from behind the glass. What’s your name, by the way? I didn’t actually ask earlier,” she said warmly.

“Uh, Nick. Hannigan. Nick Hannigan,” he said, clearly still nervous but somehow feeling a bit more comfortable.

“Okay. So, Nick. I get the idea you don’t know many people here,” inferred Ryan, phrasing it like a question, but knowing the answer.

“No, not really,” he didn’t like leaving it at just that so he let the phrase “except you, I guess” escape his lips. He regretted it immediately. “I mean, not that I know you. I don’t know you I just-”

“It’s all good, don’t worry I get you,” she giggled a bit.

“Alright. Uh, so did you need something?” he asked, referring to her popping in to his train car. She paused before answering, seemingly just taking in his appearance.

“Yeah! Yeah. We kinda got to the train late. My friends and I, that is. So, we kinda don’t have seats. Do you mind if we share the car with you? We’ll totally leave you alone if that’s what you want,” she said, her eyebrows furrowed. There was hardly any crease between the eyebrows, like she rarely ever worried about anything.

Nick wanted to make some friends, so he gladly took the opportunity. “Yes. Definitely. And don’t worry about bothering me, it would probably do me some good to learn more about the school,” He said, finally subduing his nerves. She smiled at that, welcoming the new comfortable energy.

“Awesome! Thanks, man,” she cheered, standing up and sliding her body halfway out of the car, waving at her friends. After a few moments, they appeared in Nick’s view. Ryan sat down across from Nick now, another two friends sitting beside her and one sitting a seat over from Nick.

Nick suddenly felt all the nerves bubble up again, three more new people was quite a bit to register. It was silent for a few second before Ryan realized it was probably a good idea for her to introduce people.

“Guys, this is Nick. Nick Hannigan,” she joked to him, “Uh, he’s a British transfer kid, from that school Hogwarts. That’s literally all I know.” They all responded with various greetings.

“So, Nick. This lovely creature beside me is Wren, next to her is Mona, and that dumbass who for some reason isn’t sitting next to you is Kai,” she directed a stern look at Kai. 

“I didn’t know if he wanted me to! I care about personal space,” responded Kai defensively.

“He doesn’t mind. Right, Nick? Scooch over here!” she said, forgetting to let Nick answer. He really didn’t mind, but he did want to talk.

Kai scooched as instructed and the five of them all chatted, mostly about the differences in between Ilvermorny and Hogwarts. He learned that the sorting ceremony was quite different than Hogwarts. The student stands between four statues that represent the four houses, and the statues react if they want that student in their house. If several react, the student gets to choose the house.

“Kind of like The Voice,” explained Mona.

Apparently it is very rare that a student gets all four to react, but the others in the car were placing their bets on how many would react to him and which ones. They all wanted him to join their house. He learned that Ryan was a Thunderbird (adventurous), Wren was a Horned Serpent (scholars), Mona was a Wampus (warrior), and Kai was a Puckwudgie (healer). 

Each person showed him the back of their robes, which were more like long cardigans with hoods, as they each had their house’s symbol. Apparently, this was the only thing close to a uniform they actually had, which blew Nick’s mind. Everyone got to dress as they pleased at Ilvermorny, the only requirement being a house robe, which all were either blue or cranberry, the school colors..

He asked about how they were all friends, considering they were all in different houses. As it turns out, they all met in charms class, since the classes are much more integrated with the houses than at Hogwarts. The dining hall didn't even have separate designated house tables, but instead had open seating for all students. It was surprisingly less divided than Hogwarts, not at all what he had expected in America.

He also learned that he was not alone in being queer. Ryan was not a she as he had previously thought, but a they; Wren, like him, was bisexual; Kai was gay; and Mona, as she put it, didn't know what she was but knew girls were hot. 

This really made him feel close to the group, as he could actually relate to them on some level instead of just chatting about their differences. The five continued chatting like that the entire train ride. They veered off into other topics, such as TV shows they liked and favorite music artists.

A woman came to their train car and informed them that they would be arriving at the school in 15 minutes. When she left, the others began to make plans for the evening.

“Okay, so when we get to school, we’re going to drop our stuff in the dorms and meet by the library an hour before the sorting ceremony,” said Kai, confirming with the group.

“Nick can go with me,” said Wren, “I’ll go with you to the first-year’s luggage drop-off area, I’m guessing that’s where you leave it since you don’t have a house yet,” giving him a suggestive look about joining hers. 

“Okay, sure. But why are we meeting at the library an hour before? I mean, we can just see each other at the ceremony,” Nick said, feeling a bit tired and overwhelmed by the welcoming friendship these people offered him.

“Well we have to show you around the castle, of course,” said Ryan in a matter-of-factly manner. Just as they uttered the words, the castle came into Nick’s view from the window. They had all finally arrived at Ilvermorny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES THATS RIGHT EVERYONE IS GAAAAAAY


End file.
